I am Dameion Lovett, your new FASFAA region representative. I hope you all have survived the first few weeks of classes with the “glow” that only financial aid administrators have ! Since this the best region in the state, I want you to feel free to reach out to me with your thoughts and comments so we can have a great year! Let me take a moment to introduce myself. I have been an aid administrator since 1999 (I started as a financial aid graduate assistant in 1997). Little did I know I would actually like what I was doing and end up making a career out of this wonderful field we are all in (whether voluntary or not)! I have supervised our front line/front desk staff in various capacities since 1999. My hat’s off to the front line staff, my kindred spirits. I understand and appreciate you all!

I have spent my entire career at the University of South Florida where I now serve as associate director and manager of our campus’s new financial education program. The one thing I’ve learned is that financial aid administrators by nature are very helpful people and really want to help as many students as we can, within the law. Our jobs are challenging, but I remain convinced that it’s not meant for everyone and it takes a special person to be an aid administrator.

It is my hope that we will have a fulfilling slate of topics for our regional workshops and that as many of you attend as possible. I encourage you to help me and other members in the region to think outside the box and be as creative as possible to help improve the quality of our work and provide excellent service to our respective students. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible over the next two years. All information will be sent to the region’s listserv. I am honored to represent you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have comments, suggestions or you just need to vent.

I hope it’s off to a great start! I just wanted to send you a Save the Date for the FASFAA spring region workshop. The date is Wednesday, March 25, 2015. The spring workshop will be held at Hillsborough Community College Dale Mabry campus in Tampa from 8:30am to 4:30pm.